Extruder head



SePtl, 1953 J. F. EcKELs ET AL 2,650,551

EXTRUDER HEAD Sept 1, 1953 J. F. EcKELs vET AL 2,650,551

EXTRUDER HEAD Filed May 11, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Il* dIl l Patented Sept. l, 1953 EXTRUDER HEAD John F. Eckels and August E. Eckels, Jr.,

` Baltimore, Md.

Application May 11, 1951, Serial No. 225,886

The present invention relates to an extruder head for semi-liquid lling machines and in particular to one for forming the semi-liquid in a plurality of single deposits in which each deposit is composed of ya predetermined amount of material from several filling machines, or individual sources.

While the head may be used for other purposes, its primary use is for manufacturing ice cream harlequin or Neapolitan blocks which are made up of two or more flavors.

At the present time these multi-flavor blocks are first made in long strips, one flavor being superimposed upon the other by separate machines while the ice cream is partly frozen. These strips are transferred to a cold box where they are hardened, after which they are put through 4a cutting machine to form the desired size block or serving. The blocks are then manually wrapped and placed in small paper or cardboard containers in which they are offered to the trade.

The primary object of the invention is to provide anextruded head or die for receiving a semiliquid or semi-frozen material from a machine or several machines, as the case may be, and depositing the same directly into the paper, or cardboard containers.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a device with means for receiving the material into individual compartments within the extruded head from several machines or supply sources and distributing the same in predetermined quantities to a plurality of individual nozzles.

Still another object of the invention is to provide such a head without any moving parts.

A further object of the invention is to provide a head that may be easily dismantled for cleaning.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide a device whereby the time of manufacture and handling of this type product may be greatly reduced.

While several objects have been pointed out, other objects, uses and advantages will become apparent as the nature of the invention is more fully disclosed which consists in its novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts as shown in the accompanying drawings and the following detailed description in which:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the head.

Figure 2 is a side view of the same,` partly in elevation and partly in section.

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken along line3-3 of Figure 2. j

Figure 4 is a view-in elevation of one 0i.' the extruder head separators. f vs claims. (ci. j- 1) Figure 5 is a plan view of the lower cover plate and. nozzles.

Figure 6 is an inverted view of the assembled head. y

Figure 7 is a diagrammatic end view on a reduced scale of the lower end of the head, showing the separators in dotted lines. v

Figure 8 is a view in elevation of the head on a reduced scale illustrating the manner in which the head is connected to the supply lines and the manner in which the head is used.

Figure 9 is a view in perspective of a block of ice cream produced by the head illustrating the several laminations contained in one deposit of ice cream through a single nozzle.

Figure l0 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line lll- I0 of Figure 8.

In referring to the drawings of the invention like and similar character references are used throughout the several views to indicate like and similar parts thereof.

The construction of the extruded head comprises in general an elongated housing lll, having a relatively small opening adjacent the upper end for connecting the housing with the several supply lines 9, 9 and 9 as shown in Figure 8, and a plurality of nozzles I2 extending `downwardly from the bottom of the housing through which the semi-liquid mass or semi-frozen .ice cream is extruded. It will be noted that the nozzles are shown in rectangular form in horizontal cross-section and are adapted to produce a standard size individual block of ice cream of multiple iiavors, and are generally known as harlequin blocks.

The detail construction of the head is comparatively simple. The shape of the housing lll is preferably in the form of an inverted funnel. the upper end, or narrow portion having an opening therein to admit the semi-frozen ice cream mix from ice cream filling machines,-or supply sources, as storage tanks etc. It is also preferable to have the housing tapered gradually outwardly toward the bottom to where the ice cream enters the nozzles l2, which will be hereinafter more fully described.

The inner area of the head is arranged so that it may be divided into a number of separate compartments. The compartments are set off by a plurality of separators I4 and I6. These sepa.

rators extend from the upper inlet opening entirely through the head and preferably into the nozzles I2 and ending just short of the nozzle openings. However, for mixes or materials that may be capable of working under increased hardness. the separator may end at the upper end of ingand I9 and I9 located adjacent the bottom-'- of the housing. These partitions may be vpreset to give the desired proportion zof taA V'selected' mix or flavor to the iinished block. If thedi-` viders arc arranged as shownin 'Figurel'y theI housing will be divided into three equal compartments. If only one separator is used inslt'i" and the corresponding lower center slot, then the Housing-head will be separated vinto two compartments. While these arbors I8 and ISar-e shown tohold" the'A separators in three positions, r-any number of arbors and grooves may be provided-t make :"any' "desired Y number of Vcompartments in tHe-head, the larger the compartment `the -more of a particular flavor or mix w-ill bepresent in thefnshed ice cream block 25.

The outer? end of the'housingihas'acover `22or lower-fend member, which covers the entire' area of the lower end 'ofithe head1 This cover has mounted'or'eformed thereon a plurality of noz- I'zles"o'f'wh'ich'seven are Shown. However, this lHurribermaybe'increasedor decreased'd'epending upon the number of blocks desired in a'single carton-andthe capacity of the supply' source. These nozzles 4have their upperl ends beginning substantially' at-thezbottomn of the housing or in the' horizontal plane of the bottom cover 22. They are preferably. lrectangular in horizontal crosssection in order that they will extrude a rectangular blocky as shown in Figure 9. Then'ozzles `I 2` are tapered slightlyv and-theV extremeflower endsfare'turnedesliglitlyinwardly as shown atl I. This willf'giverthe extruded block asmooth sur'- face. Theupper edges I5 of` the nozzles' are shapedfftoform dividers or cuttingedges for the material moving intoy the nozzles.: The outer lowenedgesrof `the nozzles are separatedby -anar#- row opening to allow a narrow opening between eachof-the'nozzlesl This allows for a=container or carton as shown at 24, which hasl formed therein fa AseparateA depository -for each nozzle `(not shown) to be' inserted upand over thenozzles to receive-the deposit of the'mix. The-head is-provided with' stop 4members vIIiLfor adjusting the initialfposition of the box. 'Ihesey stopsmay take'any desirable form.

Thebottomcover, or the nozzle supporting memberfissecuredto the housing by lanysuitablefmeans-suchas screws 28 Yand nuts V29. 'The upper'end of Ythe housing is secured to the com- `hina-tionmix-'inlet member 3u -also' by al suitable means, such-as the eye bolts 32and nuts 33. These -eyeioolts are adapted-to engage-apair of ears 3| and 35. The' mix inlet Y3Il-is providedfwith 'suitable' connections sh'own at Y32,-32'` and 32" fors` connecting it with the supply-'pipes- 9 to-9". The inlet member `3i.I-is-div-idedinto three separaterchannels as shown `in FigurelO which -coincide'with` oney ofv the compartments formed yirl-the lhead by theseparators. When the-separators `arefchan'gedfto changefthe-size and number-of the"cmpa'rtmentsfa'correspondingfinletmember 3'01 must besubstituted;

' AInoperationthe different mixes; 'or flavors, arey fed to the combination inlet member 30, through the pipes 9 to 9 and into the above mentioned compartments of the head. The mix is forced into the head through the supply lines in equal quantities and pressure. As the material moves down the funnel shaped head its speed is reduced as it approaches the bottom, because of the gradual increase inthe farea of the head. The separators are arranged transversely of rthe noz- `zles and the nozzle dividing elements I5, allow- 'i'rig the material or mix in each compartment to fformfff`a= section of the amount pouring through each nozzle and in proportion to the area of the Ar'io'zfzle*beveredby the above compartment.

VThe mix is deposited directly into the container and -as Tthematerial is traveling at a reduced speed from the nozzles there is time for inserting and removing the container without the necessity of a cutoif of the supply.

WiTthffthe present -devieewthefmix 'may be i deposit l directly- -froii al-l Anozzles simultaneously into the con'tainer fand -in "predetermined proportions! i Bythe present method there willbeaiconsider ablelsaving-f'in handling, freezing facilities and machinery over the method now used. l

'Wl-iixIetliei 'invention has been 'illustrated and described in 2a'f`p'articu1ar form Van'dfor-` azsp'ecic purposeg'it iis Snot intended '-tolbe a limitation -as otherl modifications andusesm'ay'ibeimade without' departi'rig'fr'om the 'ispirit' andzthe fsc'ope `of tlieappendinglc'laim'sif i. 'An Vvextrusion headrfor semi-uuid Snlling =m"a" chinesfcomprising'- an -clongatedrtapered `lhousing, having-ia relatively 'small fopenV upper end :or fre- 'c'eiving the sa-icl Afluid from two .or' moreufilling machines, the -Jlower end of the housingbeing larger and of rectangular forml and havingaV plurality 'offadjoining.r individual 'nozzles lextending downwardly-from fand" across the Ylarger end of the fsaidfhousing, one: or "more dividers :extending throughout the lhei'ghtf of the said'fhousingf and 'acrossfthe fsmall A-upper intake openingy .of the housingfandrextendin'g downwardly adjacent the upper ends of each of thenozzle'openings'and dividingfthe-I'housing- `into `one or more compartmentsffromfthewupper small opening to a point adjacent -the-topfof -the nozzles, 'each section :of they-small upperopenings-.of the housing @formed by` the'ldviderssadaptedto2-be connected witha separate filling-#machina wherebyl each nozzle will receive a portion of the fluid from each of theseVeralKJ lllingfmachines.-

2.An-icecream-extrusion head for icecream mix-ingj machines-for fmanufacturing ice `cream units of two or f more .avorscomprising a funnel shaped housing.- .the sma1l= endof which extends upwardlyand is adapted to be securedl to Ithe outlet-pipes'of vthesaidmachinespthe larger end of the funnel shaped housing extending downwardly toward vtheouter-r end-- thereof ,-the Aupper er1-d of the housing having-s as relativelyl small open end tonadmitting-them-ixesfrom the several machines.- a detachable Ybottom-covering the entire areafof--the-outerend of'ithe housingrfsaid bottom haVi-ng'faplurality-of i'tapered rectangular vindividual dischargenozzles: having the edges ofl their larger -ends-joined to the-bottom'iand-to each other `and` 'extending :downwardlyy from the said bottom, the taper of each'nozzle-:beingfsuchas'to form small-openingsbetween the f ylower endsV of each nozzle, a pluralityof removableffseparators for separating the housing in vsever-alcompartments,

each separator extendingv thefuit-length-i'ofl the housing including the intake opening at the upper end of the housing to a point within each of the lower end of all the nozzles, means for delivering the mixes from the several machines to the separate compartments of the head, whereby each separate mix coming from each of the lling machines will be channeled through one of the compartments to all the nozzles within the head and to a point adjacent the outer end of each nozzle for forming a single portion of ice cream ,u

of various avors.

3. An extruder head for machines for handling semidiquid materials comprising, an elongated open end tube having a relatively small upper end opening in comparison to its lower end opening, the length of the tube being not less than the width of its lower end, the tube being tapered outwardly from the relatively small upper opening in its downwardly direction, the lower end of the tube being of rectangular form, a plurality of individual rectangular nozzles extending downwardly from the lower edge of the rectangular lower end opening of the tube, the upper ends of the nozzles being joined to the lower end of the tube and along their adjacent edges, the lower ends of the nozzles being evenly spaced apart, whereby the semi-liquid material may be evenly distributed into the upper ends of the said nozzles and deposited and spaced apart in individual deposits into a single container.

JOHN F. ECKELS. AUGUST E. ECKELS, JR.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

